Summer 2011

It has been a very busy summer here with the newest generation of groundhogs. This year we have 2 mamas and 5 babies... we think 3 belong to one mama and 2 belong to the other. But we're not sure, because all 5 babies certainly did stick together (not so much now as they are getting older). The same cannot be said for the 2 adults. Serious turf wars.

We captured lots of great pictures. We named one of the little guys Braveheart because he was incredibly daring and social. He would come right up to us looking for a treat. He even took carrots from our hands. The others were more timid, but got accustomed to us after a while. They are so adorable and fun! Yes, even though they dig lots of holes in our yard and chew on our porch. How could anyone get mad at these sweet faces??

Our little orphan

My husband and I had quite an adventure involving a baby groundhog yesterday. As we were driving through our neighborhood, we had to stop to allow a little critter to cross the street safely. We looked closely and discovered it was a tiny baby groundhog, just struggling to cross the road into a neighbor's yard. We knew this wasn't normal. Our families of groundhogs have lived in our yard ever since we moved in 5 years ago. We know that the mama never allows her babies to wander away. Never. In fact, she nurtures them pretty much all through the summer until they are grown and can fully live on their own.

We knew this little baby had lost its mom. :( We went home to get a box and drove back to the neighbor's yard, where the little guy was still sitting. A man who lives in the house came out and said that the baby had been around for the past 2-3 days. So my husband and I placed him in the box and took him to our house. We placed clover, some carrot pieces and grass inside the box, as well as some cloths. We wondered if our mama groundhog would take care of the little orphan (by this time we had already named him "Lucky" - because we were lucky to have found him before a car or predator got him). However, information that we found online said that a mother groundhog would not welcome an outsider.

As my husband continued to research the web for information, he suggested that I call The Center for Wildlife in Cape Neddick - approximately 40 miles away. At least they might be able to give me some advice. Well, they gave more than advice. They asked if we would be willing to drive him to the center where one of their staff members would be delighted to take him in. (They told me that groundhogs were her favorite!) We of course agreed.

On the way to the center, Lucky clawed his way to the top edge of the box and almost escaped. So we placed a cover over the top, tucked the box in the backseat of the car and I crawled in and sat next to him as my husband drove. When we arrived, the staff quickly took Lucky and the box to a back room where they had prepared a pen for him. They gave us an "admission ticket" with a number to reference should we want to call and check in on him.

I did call today and spoke with the woman who is caring for him. She said that another baby groundhog was brought to the Center today, so now Lucky has a buddy - which is really important and good for both of them. She is feeding them a special formula and acting as a surrogate mother in a sense, because baby groundhogs bond with their mothers until they are weaned. She adores groundhogs and is taking extra special care of them. My husband and I are grateful to have such a wonderful place nearby. www.yorkcenterforwildlife.org

When Lucky and his buddy are old enough to be released, she will take them to a home that has acres of fields and woods. However, don't be surprised if you read another post in the near future welcoming Lucky to MY home. I just might have to go get him when he is ready! xoxo

The first sighting of 2010

The groundhogs are up and at it after a long winter slumber! My husband heard a "whistle pig" yesterday and sure enough, one appeared from this hole in our front yard an hour later.




Yep, all I have to show is the hole. My buddy would have no part of having his picture taken. I waited and waited... and waited... and well, he won. That's okay. We have all spring and summer to get reacquainted. :) There are still 2 weeks until the official start of the season, but as far as all of us here are concerned, spring has arrived!

Happy Groundhog Day!

Of course I could not let this special day go by without wishing everyone a Happy Groundhog Day. Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow so I guess it will be at least six more weeks until I see my littles buddies pop up for the first sniff of Spring. I can't wait! :)

If anyone needs a truly heartwarming, inspirational boost, visit Faith's website:

http://faiththedog.info/

I'm adding this link to my blog. She is worth following.

Buddies

It's been a while since my last post. I thought today would be a good day to update my imaginary readers. ;-)

My groundhogs haven't been as visible this summer as in past summers. We have two this year who have stuck around, popping up from their holes to grab the peanuts and carrots we place nearby. However they aren't too keen on visiting. They prefer to take their treats back inside and all we can hear is crunching from underground. When the crunching stops, we wait a minute until the nose, ears and eyes appear level with the hole to scope out the scene. Pop up, grab, hunker down, crunch crunch crunch. This has been the entertainment for the most part. However... I did manage to get a couple of pictures of one the other day who enjoyed his peanuts alfresco:

We have a new buddy this summer who love peanuts just as much - if not more - than the groundhogs. And this little guy is not shy at all. Meet Buddy:

This is our resident chipmunk who has taken a liking to the groundhogs' territory. He is adorable and amazing to watch, scurrying around stuffing peanuts in his cheeks. I never completely understood the term "chipmunk cheeks" until I saw it for myself. He can wad 4-5 peanuts in his cheeks. He hit pay dirt one day when my husband was outside picking blueberries, ready with a container full of peanuts should a groundhog appear. Well, the chipmunk found it... in fact, the above photo was taken as he eyed the container... and he had a plan for each and every nut.

One cheek full, one more to go.

Today my husband actually watched a neighborhood cat dash out of nowhere and scoop Buddy into his jaws and run off. We were sick about it. But you will never believe it: Buddy reappeared about an hour afterwards! I was never so happy to see this little guy as I was today. :) Now we know to be vigilant about keeping cats out of our yard.

Cats like birds too. Good thing they are no match for turkeys, because we have a bunch who parade around the neighborhood and make our front lawn a regular stop. Yes, they know they can count on getting bread from us. They are quite the crew, very protective of one another. I enjoy feeding them even though i suppose I shouldn't. But who could resist?

Baby birds on the move

A few days ago my husband and I saw the baby robin flapping his wings and wobbling on the edge of the nest. We knew it wouldn't be long before he discovered he could fly and fortunately I was able to get a picture of him after he settled back down:




The nest was empty that same evening when we returned home from work. It was so much fun watching the entire process right from our front porch. I miss the activity.



Today we saw MORE bird babies - turkeys! Yep, 4 grown turkeys and 10 babies at least. We cannot believe how much wildlife we see in this neighborhood. You would think we lived out in the country.




Now if we could just have more sunny days like today. Who knows what other visitors might appear! :)